National Marrow Donor Program moving HQ to North Loop

The nonprofit will be moving into a new building United Properties plans to develop at the site now home to Shapco Printing near Target Field.

United Properties presented plans for the $57 million, eight-story office building at 524 N. 5th St. to the North Loop Neighborhood Association in April.

Shapco Printing will be demolished to make way for the new building. Construction is expected to start next summer and be wrapped up in late 2015.

The National Marrow Donor Program runs the Be the Match program, which matches patients with bone marrow and umbilical cord transplants. The program is experiencing an increase in demand, said Dr. Jeffrey Chell, chief executive officer of the National Marrow Donor Program.

“But more than 70 percent of patients don’t have a matching donor in their family," he said. "That’s where we come in. Our goal is to find a matching donor for every patient in need.”

The organization has more than 900 employees and leases about 196,000 square feet of office space in two buildings in Northeast. Once complete, the North Loop building will have about 240,000 square feet of space.

The new building, which will go up across from Target Field Station transit hub, will have an elevated 11,000-square-foot plaza for outdoor events. The rooftop will have a fitness center, event space and outdoor terrace.